Chapter 127 – Floor 18. Fast, Faster

Kuuung─

The air on Floor 18 settled heavily.

Like placing a transparent elephant on top, the weight was oppressive. I lifted my head and witnessed something slowly descending from the sky.

“Oh, something”s changed?”

It was definitely Severa.

Where had the Asribe clothes I dressed her in gone? She wore a flowing black dress now, but the magic she radiated and her passionate gaze left no doubt.

I looked at her with an intrigued expression.

If she could project such pressure just by appearing, how much had her power amplified?

Though too far to confirm details, I believed that cute ghost could tie up all loose ends.

“Still unstable, as expected…”

Levand stared blankly at Severa, his dying voice carrying a hint of detachment, but the malice within remained.

“…Your ultimate magic still works. Of course, you”ll perish, but you”ll be swept away by it, and that soul will collapse under its pressure soon.”

I saw the gigantic, mirage-like lines still decorating the sky as he spoke.

*Crackle* An ominous sound like something breaking echoed as paintbrush strokes stained the air with color.

At the center, Severa descended like an actor riding a stage device.

Because of her black clothes or the aura of restless souls around her, she didn”t look like an angel.

Yet the ever-scattering spectacle of colors and light, and her beautiful form, seemed worthy of being called a mythical spectacle.

“I may not win, but I will not lose.”

“Ugh, you”re annoyingly loud.”

It was her first real action in a while.

Her noisy rambling was unpleasant.

I shoved the tip of my sneaker into her mouth to shut her up.

“Enough. Let”s end this.”

As I declared the finish, Severa”s lips—

“─────”

A pitiful song descended from the sky.

Fragments of a requiem shattered like falling glass shards.

The 365 colors surrounding Severa mingled with the trembling beauty of her voice, scattering like petals.

The hundreds of colors shifted, blending and transforming, shedding old hues and reborn in response to the song.

Those fragments multiplied into tens, hundreds of thousands, dancing.

【Soul Requiem】

A mournful yet strangely joyful, dark yet hopeful song.

Listening closely, it sounded like a magical incantation.

No, the incantation was the song, and the song was the incantation.

An indefinable flow of voice settled on Floor 18.

[You have defeated the necromancer Levand.]

[You have defeated the Clump Lord.]

[You have grown.]

[You have defeated the Spore Scribe.]

[You have defeated the Wraith Fusion.]

[You have defeated the Spore Scribe.]

[You have defeated the Spore Scribe.]

………

………

………

[You have grown.]

And that was the end.

***

Levand”s confident ultimate magic was sacrificed in Severa”s grand entrance, and all the undead in the gallery were laid to rest.

Whether true or not, the idiot beside me had turned to bones and showed no sign of rising again, so it was likely.

“Persistent, so persistent. No matter how hard the path, this is really annoying…”

Glancing over the endlessly rising log roughly with my finger, I was relieved to see that Slime and Alraune had successfully finished off the near-death Clump Lord in time.

That creature was notoriously tough to kill, so failure might have crushed my fragile, delicate heart.

With a brief grumble, I finally welcomed Severa fully descended from the sky.

“Good job.”

“You waited for me.”

Severa spread her arms as if asking for a hug, and I pulled her close without hesitation.

Unlike before, perhaps burdened by the weight of a million souls, Severa pressed her face into my chest with a strong presence.

She wrapped her arms around my waist, holding tight as if refusing to let go. Though I couldn”t see the growth log from her stats, I let it slide.

That wasn”t important now.

“Your clothes changed to something sexy? Was what I gave you not enough? Your figure looked pretty good, too.”

“Ugh! What am I supposed to do about clothes that changed on their own?!”

Though black, Severa”s veil-like dress was thin enough to clearly show her silver hair beneath.

It wasn”t about lines or exposure—without something underneath, everything was visible.

Severa blushed deeply as she finally realized her appearance and punched my chest repeatedly.

“Haha! Severa, you know… that ghostly punch won”t hurt me at all…”

Whack!

“Gah..!”

The shock took my breath away!

Unprepared for the deep, sharp strike, I spat blood.

“Kyaaaah!!!”

“Ah. No, it”s the perverted owner”s fault for acting up even now!”

Then, as if to release all the tension, Severa”s continuous barrage of punches landed on my solar plexus, making me gasp for air.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!!!

Despite her low strength, her punches pierced my defense, and I let out a faint scream.

“Kyaaaak..! The onahole is punching her owner because she ate some souls! This is a sign the world”s ending! We have to fix this right now!”

To counter the continuous barrage, the 108 Arhats of the heretical cult appeared!

Their legendary martial arts, rivaling the 9,999 Volcano Flames, combined with the principles of Gyeoksan Tau, were unleashed to block the pork cutlet punches!

Of course, I lost.

While bickering with Severa, Slime and Alraune bounced over, having been sent to finish off the Clump Lord.

Neither showed serious damage, so Levand must have weakened the Clump Lord effectively.

“M-master! We took care of that nasty mushroom. Hehe.”

Squirm!

The two clung to me, seeking praise.

Though not the strongest among my onaholes, these two were the best choice against the Clump Lord, who used spore-type skills.

Slime was immune to pollen, spores, and webs, while Alraune, being plant-type, was less affected by similar spores.

I petted them thoroughly until they were satisfied, even though their wet bodies made my recently gained equipment soggy.

“Hmm? There”s something here… what is it?”

While stroking Alraune”s head, I felt an odd bump under my fingertips.

Was it a branch-like horn? It wasn”t hard, but a bit raised and soft like a leaf.

“Yap.”

*Pop* With a light sound like pulling cotton from a lighthearted medium, something sprouted from Alraune”s head and fell off.

It was a mushroom!

A mushroom that looked delicious enough to throw into a stew.

“Hmm… well, probably nothing important. Nom.”

I tossed the mushroom into my mouth and chewed roughly, then sent the hardworking Slime and Alraune back into the mimic.

Though I wondered if anyone else was inside, the mimic seemed much stronger than I thought.

“…Master.”

“Stop dithering and say what”s wrong.”

Severa bit her lip slightly at my words, looking sad.

Tick. Tap.

Before I could guess her hesitation, I saw her fingertips crack and crumble like a crumbling plaster statue, slowly falling away.

Somehow, the presence that had felt stronger than life itself just moments ago seemed to fade.

But I waited for Severa to speak.

“I… think I couldn”t hold on. Soon, I”ll completely vanish… Funny, huh? I talked like I could do it but couldn”t even repay the trouble.”

Severa was more dejected than before.

But it didn”t seem her impending disappearance was the cause. Rather, it was closer to guilt and disappointment.

“Do you regret causing all this trouble to save those unknown souls?”

“…No.”

Still, I doubted Severa would change her choice even if she could go back.

She curled up even more, as if scolded by me.

“If you don”t regret it, that”s enough.”

“Huh?”

Honestly, I cared more about Severa, who laughed, played dirty, and was herself, than a million souls whose names and homes I didn”t even know.

But if I had to choose between the two, I would pick the former if Severa wished it.

“Because I”m the owner who supports and cleans up after our kids.”

I reached into the mimic”s mouth and pulled out the Tear of the Spirit sleeping deep inside.

Originally an impossible phantom elixir, it sparkled in my hand.

The Tear of the Spirit raises the soul”s rank simply by drinking it.

Even a hero like Severa, whose soul was basically that of an ordinary human, couldn”t bear the weight of a million souls.

So why not reinforce the vessel itself to be stronger and bigger to bear that weight?

“That”s it!”

Severa seemed to realize what I intended and looked surprised.

“Of course, this is only a temporary fix, but it should be enough time to cross the river.”

I poured the Tear of the Spirit into my mouth and immediately kissed Severa.

The soft lips and the slightly sweet taste of the tear slid over my tongue.

Receiving the Tear of the Spirit as if accepting my boast, Severa rose another level.

Tears faintly stained the cheeks of the Black Saint and Songstress of the Dead, and the title she had held unchanged since her days as a wraith became the Black Queen of the Dead.

And as hoped, the collapse that had been leading Severa down the path of annihilation stopped.

It was a relic I needed, an unidentified item.

“Lucky.”

With all problems solved, it was truly time to meet the curator.

“Let”s go meet Leviana!”

“I”m already here, nameless traveler.”

Fast indeed.